Railroad-tie.



PATENTBD NOV. l, 1904.

A. l. ARLOW.

RA AD TIE.

3,. A mNl. NN u QN NN EN Y NN N Andrew JHaf'Zozz/,Invefon .SZ 2 i Httomags Patented November 1, 1904.

l IINTTED STATES PATENT Triton.

ANDRET J. HARLOIV, OF MITCHELL, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS VILLIAINI lELSH, OF MITCHELL, INDIANA. .Y

RAILROAD-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,638, dated November 1, 1904. Application filed March S0, 1904. Serial No. 200,797- (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. HARLOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mitchell, in the county of Lawrence and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Tie, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to railway-ties, and has for its object to improve the construction and produce a tie formed of a combination of wood and metal which will be strong and durable, which may be inexpensively constructed, and by means of which all tendency to "buckle, settle unevenly, become centerbound, or permit or cause the track to get out of alinement is obviated.

Another object of the invention is to produce a railway-tie which will eifectually support the rails without the use of tie-plates, braces, or other similar attachments.

Another object of the invention is to produce a tie in which any of the parts may be renewed when worn without disturbing the remaining parts.

lVith these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing' from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is therefore reserved of making all the changes and modifications which fairly fall within the scope of the invention and the claims made therefor.

In the drawings thus employed, Figurel is a perspective view of one of the improved ties. Fig'. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating the formation of the holding-spurs. Fig. 4t is a perspective view of a portion of one of the spaced metal plates detached.

The improved tie comprises a plurality of spaced metal plates IO, preferably three or more, and interposed wood members l1, the wood members being preferably shorter than the plates and disposed between them at the ends only, leaving central open spaces 12. The plates and wood members are bound together by transverse binding-bolts 18. The 6o plates l0 are provided with a plurality of spaced lateral spurs 14 for pressing into the wood members when the parts are united to increase the grip between the parts and assist in holding them together. The spurs will preferably be formed by severing portions of the metal and bending the tongues thus released transversely of the planes of the plates, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 1I. By this simple means it is obvious that a very simply 7o constructed and inexpensive tie is produced which possesses many advantages over the ordinary wood tie or any all-'metal tie heretofore constructed.

As well known, when railway-ties settle the 7 5A tendency is for the ends to bend downward or to produce the effect known as buckling often resulting in breaking the ties and displacing the rails or destroying their longitudinal alinement. The continued pounding 8o imparted to the ties by the passing trains soon beats the tamping from under the ends of the ties and renders it necessary to frequently replace and repair the tamping. NVith the improved tie herein illustrated all tendency to thus settle unevenly is 'obviated, as the open central spaces 12 and relatively thin metal plates l0 permit the tie to cut into the ballast (represented at l5) centrally of the tie, and thus insure a uniform settling, and consequently 9o edectually prevent all tendency of the' ties to buckle or curve upward in the center ,or downward at the ends and preserve the longitudinal alinement of the rails. Another material advantage gained by the relatively large 9 5 open intermediate spaces l2 is that the ballast which enters therein becomes an effectual check to any creeping tendency of the 'l'aek and materially assists in holding the rails in alinement.

The wood members ll being of comparatively small size can be manufactured from cheaper grades of material and the timber from which they are constructed can be cut to greater advantage, as timber which would otherwise be unavailable for the purposes can be advantageously manufactured into the smaller sections ll, as will be obvious. This is a very material advantage, as will be apparent at a glance. Another great advantage arising from the use of the relatively small sections of the wood members is that any piece may be easily detached when worn or broken without disturbing the remaining portions eX- cept to partiallyv withdraw the binding-bolts 13 and restoring them when the new wood section is inserted, as will be obvious. One or more of the metal plates 10 can also be removed and a new one substituted therefor in the same manner, as will by obvious. By this simple means worn or broken parts may be easily replaced and without disturbing the road-bed and the life of the tie prolonged indefinitely.

A railway-tie thus constructed combines all the advantages of an all-wood and an allmetal tie, as the wood sections provide means for receiving the holding-spikes, while the plates l0 efectually support the rails and receive the impact of the passing rolling and effectually resist its pounding blows, With a tie thus constructed tie-plates and rail-braces are not required, as the plates l0 prevent the rails from cutting into the wood portions of the ties, which tie-plates and rail-braces are designed to prevent.

The ties may be of any desired size; but generally the plates l0 will be of steel one-fourth of an inch thick, six inches wide, and eight feet long and the wood members four inches thick, six inches wide, and three feet five inches long, leaving the central spaces 12 one foot two inches long; but of course these dimensions may be varied to any desired extent. Generally three of the plates l0 will be employed for each tie; but this number may be increased or decreased, as required.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isl. A railway-tie comprising a plurality of metal plates spaced apart and with their sides parallel throughout, wood members interposed between the plates and transverse tiebolts for binding the plates and wood members together.

2. A railway-tie comprising a plurality of metal plates spaced apart and with their sides parallel throughout, wood members interposed between said plates at their ends and leaving the central spaces between the plates open, and means for binding said plates and wood members together.

3. A railway-tie comprising a plurality of metal plates spaced apart and provided with laterally-extending spurs, wood members interposed between said plates and engaged by said spurs, and means for binding said plates and wood members together.

4. A railway-tie comprising a plurality of metal plates spaced apart and provided with integral spurs formed by severing portions of the metal and bending the tongues thus released transversely of the plane of the plates, wood members interposed between said plates and engaged by said spurs, and means for binding said plates and wood members together.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW J. HARLOW.

iVitnesses:

RALPH Cnrrns, En. CLINTON. 

